The son of renowned nightclub performer and producer Mickey Katz, Joel Grey grew up amid song, dance, and glitz. He performed in Catskills revues and enjoyed small parts on television and stage before landing his signature role as the sinister but mesmerizing Emcee in the Broadway musical Cabaret (1966). Grey won a Tony for the portrayal, which he reprised in the 1972 film version (in turn winning an Academy Award) and again on Broadway in 1987–88. Subsequently considered difficult to cast, he has since had few prominent roles, though in 1996 he appeared in the revival of the Broadway musical Chicago.